right martial art 4 me?

Question

i'm not limber, but i'm stocky, 170lbs and 5' 9.5"
i've allways digged matial arts but i was no good at tae kwon do and kempo karate, those were the2 i tryed as a kid.
is there a martial art for big (not fat) guys?

Answer 1

I'm about your height but a bit stockier at 5'10 185. I practice Brazilian jiu jitsu and when I can, muay thai and boxing. Jiu jitsu works out great, I'm strong and have great leverage for executing locks and holds. Jiu jitsu was designed to overcome stonger opponents, but if you're strong yourself, it's even better.

I also practiced tae kwon do when I was a kid, but I was blown away when I saw how effective muay thai was in comparison. As soon as you step into a kickboxing ring to spar you'll realize right away that forms are useless in a real fight. Point sparring was also useless. In the ring your opponent doesn't stop just because you scored a point, just like in the street.

Answer 2

In my opinion, 4 years old is too young to start learning martial arts. The youngest I teach in my classes is 5 and a half years old. The younger the student, it slows down the rest of the class which upsets other student's parents and hinders growth of others. The attention and coordination isn't there yet. The ones that I have seen start at 4, quickly leave. It seems more of the parent's idea than the kids. Martial arts is a serious commitment and a 4 year old is not able to understand that. 4 year old classes are more like day care for an hour in which they run around and jump. You might just be better off putting him in a play group and waiting a couple of years. There is no rush to join martial arts. He will get more out of it if he starts when he can comprehend the moves and understand the reasoning.

Answer 3

Personally, I don't think Kenpo is that great of an art to begin with, especially for kids, and I'm a black belt in it, so I can say things like that. Tae Kwon Do is good but only for people in better than average physical condition. Aikido is a good, solid art form for just about anybody to study. It's a throwing art, no hand or foot striking involved, and it focuses on self-defense while causing as little damage to the assailant as possible, which I personally consider a plus, as a pacifist. The philosophy is that one can learn to defend oneself against attack while not stooping to the same brutish measures as the assailant, instead taking the ethical high road. It's one of the most recently developed martial arts practiced today, being developed only midway through the 20th century in Japan. Also, the uniforms that black belts recieve are pretty cool, they get to wear hakama.

Answer 4

Try regular Okinawan Karate. I teach kids, adults, mentaly chalanged, elderly, skinny, overweight, small and large people. If they are taught right, they each have an advantage with their size.
Also look int Aikido. It uses circular movements that uses the attackers force as your power. It doesn't matter what size you are for that.
If you are big (muscular) but not fat then you might also try Ju-Jitsu or Judo. They have throwing and grappling techniques that your strength would help out in.
Look around and find something that interests you and try it.

Answer 5

That is a very good point. Certain martial arts are better for certain body types. Muay Thai may be your style. Dragon or Tiger Kung Fu might interest you. Hapkido is also a good one for your height and weight.

Answer 6

****TRY GUN-KATA!!!!*****
the Police and Military relies HEAVILY upon THIS art!
If the neither the U.S.Military nor the police force is trainin their men to be
ninjas......
then what does THAT tell ya?
Punches and Kicks Beat Guns ONLY in the Movies! Automatic guns &Grenades ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS Beats punches&kicks in Real life! Steven Seagal (who has black belts in more than 3 martial arts) Co-operated when the Mob(the Real-life version)showed him "The Gun"... the "Martial Arts master" became "the Victim!"
In 2003 it was revealed that Seagal was a victim of extortion from the Gambino crime family due to his relationship with Hollywood producer Julius R. Nasso, who had Mafia connections.
****So! what does THAT tell ya?****

Answer 7

Besides tai chi, I really recommend Wing Chun (Beautiful Spring). It is a short distant fighting that involve a lot with the use of hands (trapping, bridging, grappling, punching, blocking, smacking), and some low to medium height kicking.

Answer 8

I would recommend Nei Gung or Tai Chi. Jiu Jitsu you could try out. Muay thai kickboxing you may do well in, its great if you have extra pounds, plus you can slowly get in shape and keep the weight

Answer 9

Try Jiu Jistu

Answer 10

Ju-jitsu or judo. These trhowing and grappling arts are ideal for shorter, thicker practitioners due to your lower center of gravity.